Under Your Spell
by jasperskitty
Summary: This story picks up after the finale of season three, with Sookie vanishing in the cemetery … Eric/Sookie, lemons in the future.


**Hiya! Welcome to my newest True Blood Fic. It's just something to pass the waiting time until season 4 starts (only a few more weeks, yeah). This story picks up after the finale of last season, with Sookie vanishing in the cemetery …**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Under Your Spell<strong>

Chapter 1 Untroubled

Sookie POV

I had no idea how much time had passed since the night I've decided to make a run for it and leave my world, the human world, behind to come here. It felt like a week or two, but according to Claudine, just a few days have gone by since my arrival.

It was really hard to tell when one day ended and another one began, because there was no nighttime here. The days simply blended into each other.

There was always sunshine here, no clouds, no rain, no darkness at all. It was heaven … well my kind of heaven, anyway.

It was not a secret that I loved to sunbath, well more than loved actually, considering how much of my spare time I spent getting tanned. For the lack of a better term, it was my drug of choice. I didn't drink or use any conventional or unconventional drugs. I even avoided taking any meds unless it was absolutely necessary, but I was surely addicted to sunlight.

It was weird, but sometimes it even felt like my body was benefitting from the sun in more ways than one. Aside from the fact that I looked nicer with a tan, I could swear I was getting stronger, fitter the more time I spent in the sun, almost like the warmth and the light was nourishing me, or something like it. Of course, I've never shared this odd little theory with anyone. I didn't want to give people more reason to doubt my sanity than they already did due to my _disability_.

_The fire is burning bright enough without adding extra fuel …_

I've never been afraid of the dark, not even as a kid … well at least as far as I could remember. But as of late, I learned to abhor, sometimes even fear the hours of darkness, and with good reason. It was truly a miracle that I was still alive and kicking, considering the number of times I'd come face to face with death, in one form or another.

I could still recall every detail of the night I'd learned of Sam's _condition,_ like it happened just yesterday. In retrospect, that night had been a real eye-opener for me, in more than one way.

Of course, I'd been startled discovering what he was, especially given the slightly embarrassing circumstances we'd found ourselves in at the time, but mostly I'd been angry and disappointed. I still stood by my words. He should have told me. Not just because I wasn't _normal_ either, but because I was his friend.

_Trust always goes both ways._

But considering how well the majority of the human population had taken to the revelation of the existence of vampires a couple of years back, Sam's decision to keep his true nature a secret from everyone around him was quite reasonable.

Most humans were prejudiced against everything they didn't understand and/or couldn't control. They would probably try and deny it when confronted personally, but thanks to my so-called gift, I _knew_ it was the truth. Instead of meeting the unknown with sensibility and tolerance, humans had the tendency to respond with fear, distrust, hate, and unfortunately rather often with violence. It was pretty easy to imagine how the humans would react, should they ever find out about the existence of the all the other things that go bump in the night … and the day.

On the one hand I _still_ didn't want to know what else was there. I had enough on my plate as it was. After having met numerous vampires and Weres, two shifters and a maenad, I already knew more about the supernatural world than I liked. If only it were possible to forget everything I've seen, to leave all the supernatural crap behind me and start over somewhere … but considering that I was, at least in part, a supernatural creature myself, my chances to live a normal, human life were slim to none. It still wasn't easy for me, but there was no way to fight the truth any longer.

_It is what it is … just deal with it …_

I kept telling myself the same thing, on a daily basis. Burying my head in the sand wasn't an option, not anymore, not after everything I've been through.

One thing was for sure. I've definitely learned my lesson, well more like lessons.

Ignorance wasn't bliss. It was a nuisance, a weakness … especially when dealing with vampires. As far as I was concerned, they were all lying, deceiving, power-hungry sons of bitches, who didn't care about anyone but themselves. The only exception to the rule had been Godric, but unfortunately he was dead. I still believed that he might have been able to make a difference in the world, in his and mine, if he'd chosen a different path than to seek his final death. But supposedly, after two millennia he'd deserved to find peace. I really hoped that he had.

I've never imagined I would eat my own words. Yes, the silence of their minds had been a blessing at first, a balm for my tortured mind and soul, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

It was **not** a good thing, that I couldn't read vampire minds. In fact, with everything I knew now I was damn certain, things would have turned out differently if they hadn't been impervious to my gift.

Although, on second thoughts, I probably wouldn't have survived the first week if that had been the case. Vampires were very secretive by nature, and to have a human spy on their inner musing, on all their secrets … well that would be a death sentence, for sure. True, by now I had a fairly good control over my gift, but sooner or later I would slip up, answering questions that weren't spoken out loud. Not to mention the fact that vampires had heightened senses. They would be able to _hear_ my reaction to certain thoughts. Like death threats for example. And since I wasn't a certified liar, like most of them, I would never be able to explain the sudden acceleration of my heartbeat without rousing suspicion. They would know I was hiding _something_. And since I have seen, more than once, what vampires were capable off, how _creative_ they could be, I knew death would be the preferable option to everything else they would come up with in order to get what they wanted.

So all in all, it was probably for the best that I couldn't hear them.

Anyhow … for now I didn't have to deal with any of this. I was finally able to breathe. I could simply enjoy the peace and quiet, and the chance to lie in the sun without a time limit.

As I've said before … this was paradise, and was planning to make the most of it.

Of course, at first I was a little confused, if not freaked out, because it took some getting used to no night-thing, but in the end I didn't really care about it. All that mattered was that I was safe. After everything that had happened over the past few months I simply needed, and definitely deserved a timeout. And coming here seemed to be the only viable option at the time.

Naturally, I'd expected to end up in the same place like last time … after Bill had nearly killed me in the back of Alcide's van. If it hadn't been for Tara's well-timed checkup on us, Bill wouldn't have stopped on his own accord. He would have drained me dry, thereby killing me. Of _that_ I was sure.

Deciding to offer my blood to a vampire, who had lost so much of his own to end up in a coma-like state, was probably the greatest lapse in judgment I've ever made. Feeding a ravenous vampire was like playing Russian roulette, though at that game there was at least a fifty-fifty chance to survive. But I knew better now. I would never make this mistake again. Twice was enough. Although feeding Eric after he'd tried to kill Russell and himself outside of his club didn't fall into the same category. For one Eric had still been conscious at the time, and due to his age, he had a lot more control over his natural urges. He'd stopped when asked to.

Yes, I knew why Bill had been acting on sheer instincts at the time, but that didn't mean that I could forgive him. He could have warned me, not right then of course, but before. He should have told me about the risks of offering my blood to a vastly weakened vampire. By doing so, he could have saved both of us from a lot of pain.

Now that I had some time to think things through in quiet, many things were starting to make (more) sense. Slowly but surely I was starting to realize what a complete fool I'd been to ever place my trust in Bill.

However … I didn't end up in that beautiful garden with all the exotic flowers and the magical pond, surrounded by all those beautiful, half-naked, dancing fairies.

Instead I woke up alone, in an incredibly soft bed, in a cozy little cabin. It was located in a wide open meadow, surrounded by forest. The small house had everything I needed to relax: a bed, a fully stocked kitchen, and a small library with my favorite books. There was even a swing in the backyard, just like the one we used to have at my parents' house. Jason had removed it after he'd moved in. I hadn't objected to the changes he'd made around the house. It was his now, to do with as he pleased.

I immediately feel in love with this place. Of course I did. Strange as it was, it resembled the one I used to go to in my mind, whenever I needed solace from a long day's work, after doing my best to keep out all the nagging thoughts from the patrons _and_ my co-workers.

Don't get me wrong, I've always cherished my Gran's house. And I still did. I probably always would. After all it has been my home for the last fifteen plus years, ever since the day my parents have died. But as much as I've tried, I simply couldn't deny the truth any longer.

The house had lost a lot of its charm and its comforting vibe. And I wasn't just referring to the most recent unpleasantries that had taken place there … the whole Maryann disaster or the werewolves trashing the place in order to obtain me, or in Debbie Pelt's case, attempting to kill me. No … despite of the things I'd told Arlene at the wake, from the moment I'd found my Gran lying on kitchen floor, in her spilled blood, I'd started to feel differently about the house. But who could blame me?

A home should be a safe haven, a sanctuary, not a place of chaos and carnage.

That's part of the reason why I felt so relaxed here, wherever _here_ was. As far as I understood it, in human terms, this place was sort of like a waiting room or a safe house. Apparently I was currently on another plane of existence, somewhere between the human world and the realm of Fairy. Just like the _other_ place, the one with the pond, although that one could only be entered spiritually, in a dream for instance.

Needless to say, at first I've had some trouble wrapping mind around all of this. I've never had one a thing for science fiction. My interests in literature or movies lay elsewhere. To avoid unnecessary headaches, I decided to just go with it.

Until I'd make a final decision … either to join Claudine and the rest of my own kind in Fairy land or to go back to the world I knew … I was stuck here. Not that I minded, I liked this place. Claudine had made it very clear I should take my time, because once I've made my choice there was no going back.

After their last war with the vampires (no surprise there), the Fairies very rarely left their homeland. And for good reason … they'd had sustained heavy losses in that war. In fact, the number of full-blooded fairies had been diminished from thousands to a couple hundred. And since their kind had a considerably harder time producing offspring, they'd decided it was in their best interest to retreat to their own realm, since it could only be entered by a Fairy, or Fairy related.

Over the eons they only abandoned their world on rare occasions, and for a very short time, naturally avoiding any and all kind of contact with vampires. And what was even more interesting, only the males ventured forth. They simply couldn't take the risk to lose any more of their females. Fertility problems seemed to be an ongoing issue among the pure-blooded of my kind. The sadness in Claudine's eyes spoke volumes. I didn't need any verbal confirmation. I simply knew that she had been trying to get pregnant for years, apparently so far without any success.

Anyhow … by being extremely covert in their endeavors, the Fae had managed to uphold the rumor that their kind had been extinct all those eons ago, which would explain why Russell Edgington, who'd been three thousand years old, hadn't come across a Fairy in his entire undead life. And it did explain why **I** hadn't met Claudine, or anyone else of my Fairy family for that matter. Not in my world, and not until I had been in mortal peril.

Unfortunately, the cat was out of the bag now. There were at least four _living_ vampires who knew that Fairies hadn't died out after all. And that I was, in part, one of said species. All thanks to the queen's hunger for power and Bill's uncanny ability to work out the truth about my heritage, without having much to go on.

I still didn't know how exactly I felt about all of this, but nonetheless, I heeded Claudine's words, carefully weighing my options. I certainly didn't want to make a mistake by rushing into a decision. I had too much to lose … either way.

Of course, I was very curious about my _other_ family. I really wanted to meet my great-grandfather Niall, and my grandfather Fintan. Who would have thought I was of royal blood? Or that my Gran had cheated on her husband? Why hadn't she told me?

My mind was still reeling from all the information Claudine had bestowed upon me. She was very forthcoming, answering every question I had as best as she could. I was so used to being kept in the dark by people who claimed to care about me that her openness had shocked me at first, but it was much appreciated.

Bill had held back so much. Before I'd learned the full truth about his betrayal, I'd believed Bill's words that he'd just wanted to keep me safe, even though I've never fully agreed with his methods. By keeping vital information from me he'd often made things worse. Yet, I've never had any reason to doubt his 'good intentions'. I'd believed he was in love with me.

But after what Eric had blown Bill's cover, my ex-fiancée's reluctance to share information with me about all things vampire was suddenly starting to make sense. Bill had kept his mouth shut, not to protect me, but to guard his own dirty little secret. He didn't want me to know that he'd been sent by the queen of Louisiana to procure me and my gift. He had been playing me from the start. I still got mad remembering the time the Rattrays had beaten me half to death. And to think that Bill had been right there, allowing it to happen, only to have the chance to get his blood into me … it just made me sick.

Of course, I've spent a day or two mourning the loss of my first love. Any girl would have cried her eyes out, and I wasn't an exception to the rule. I might be part fey, but for the most part I was still human … a human with a pesky curse, which made dating one of my own kind impossible.

I cried my eyes out, until there were no more tears to shed, but not solely because of Bill's treachery, but because I have lost so much in the last months: my faith in love, my hopes for the future, my Gran …

Guilt was still plaguing my mind, and my soul, had done so for quite some time now, and for good reason. If it were possible to go back in time, I would change one thing that seemed to be the root of all my problems – starting a relationship with Bill Compton. If it hadn't been for my involvement with him, my Gran would still be alive. Many other things might have played out differently as well, but the death of my Gran had been, and still was the greatest loss of all.

I couldn't deny the truth. I was highly tempted to accept Claudine's offer, and leave all my problems and anguish behind, but there were people in my world I would miss terribly, should I decide to go with Claudine.

Like my brother. From what I've learned he was just like me, part fairy, but he obviously didn't possess any supernatural powers. The only trait he'd inherited was a natural lure of the Fairies, which was probably for the best, considering his juvenile nature. But who knew? Maybe he would have turned out differently, if he had grown up with the same, or a similar curse like mine.

I was worried for him. Leaving Jason alone to fend for himself for a prolonged period of time was never a good idea. He may be my older brother, but he certainly didn't behave his age. Somehow he managed to get himself into trouble just as fast and as easily as me lately. But his kind of trouble usually wasn't connected to the supernatural world, at least not directly, not like mine. But that didn't mean his problems weren't any less serious.

For a split second, I considered the possibility to simply ask Jason to join me in Fairy land, but I knew my brother well enough to know he would decline the offer. And who was I fooling? The supernatural world wasn't his terrain, it was mine. Claudine wasn't even sure if he'd be allowed to come. Something about his light being not as bright as mine … apparently he was even less fairy than me, which might explain his susceptibility to vampire glamour, among other things.

And of course, I would miss Tara.

True, our friendship had suffered greatly in the recent past, but as far as I was concerned it wasn't beyond repair. I was still willing to fight for it, and I knew she didn't want to give up on us that easily either. After all, we've been friends since childhood. We were practically sisters.

Not unlike my brother Tara too seemed to need constant supervision, for one reason or another. Of course, Lafayette was trying his best to keep his cousin out of trouble, but he had his own problems to deal with … thanks to Eric's less than nice treatment a couple of weeks back. Even though I understood vampire laws a little better now, I still haven't forgiven him for treating my friend like a piece of meat … I probably never would.

True, Tara was a fighter, a survivor … but I wasn't sure she would ever be able to recover from all the shit she had been through lately. Eggs' death had done a real number on her, not to mention the news that Jason had been the one who shot him, or the fact that I had been the one to help Eggs take a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak. And then she'd met that deranged vampire Franklin, who'd not only raped her but kidnapped her with the intention to turn her into a vampire. I really wanted to help her get through all of it, if she'd let me. After all, that's what friends and family were for, right?

And then there was Sam, my longtime boss and friend. Considering what he was I was pretty sure he was able to take care of himself. But that didn't mean I would miss him or that I wouldn't worry about him. Recently our friendship had gotten a bit strained especially after I'd chosen Bill over him, but deep down I knew I could still count on him. But then again … he had changed a lot, especially after the night Maryann had tried to sacrifice him. He was harder, sometimes bordering on mean. Apparently meeting his true family hadn't work out for him. From what I've heard his parents were nothing but leeches, expecting Sam to support them, although they didn't deserve it. I kinda understood his erratic behavior. He'd complained to me once that he was fed up with people who kept on relying on his goodness. Maybe he needed a vacation as well, allowing him to get some new perspective.

Anyhow … except for those three, there weren't a lot of other people I would miss. Maybe Hadley, now that I knew she was still alive. But then again it had been her blabbermouth that had started all this mess. In any case, I was more worried about her son. Hunter had the same ability, and I feared for him, especially after learning about Hadley's involvement with the queen. Now that I was out of reach, would she go for the boy? I didn't know if she was even aware of his existence. I'd asked Claudine, but all she could tell me was that the boy was safe for the moment, that he was back with his father. But who knew how long that would last. I truly feared for my nephew.

It was a hard decision. How could I leave the people I cared about, who depended on me behind? Especially without the chance of saying my goodbye, explaining things? Claudine had said, I wasn't allowed. The less people knew about Fairy business, the better.

God, I hated secrecy. I hated rules, even though I understood the reasons behind them. But one question remained the same. What should I do?

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><p>Every day I spent outside, enjoying the sun, and the peace and quiet that came with being alone. No disturbing thoughts, no vampires who wanted nothing more than to drink my blood, just peace.<p>

I loved it.

Being alone made the thinking process easier, for sure, yet I still wasn't ready to make a final decision, but I was getting there. Claudine dropped in from time to time, well she came every day to talk and check up on me, and my progress, but she's never tried to influence me, in any way. Free choice was one of Fairy's main principles. I had been wrong with my former assessment. My people weren't rapists. Gran had wanted kids, more than anything, and since my _human_ Grandpa hadn't been able to give her children, she'd agreed to Fintan's indecent proposal.

I liked sitting on the swing in the backyard, and that's where my fairy cousin found me today, staring into space, contempla**t**ing my options, as always.

"There you are, Sookie." Claudine announced her presence, happy as always. Well as of lately she was. My cousin loved having me here, out of harm's way. She'd made no heel about her feelings towards Bill, or vampires in general. I couldn't blame her either way. After what happened, I had no interest whatsoever to return to _that_ life again, especially not with what I knew now. Vampires and Fairies didn't mix, period.

I turned my head, smiling. As always she had a basket of fresh food with her. She had a thing for all things fruit … well except for lemons. Apparently full-blooded Fairies were allergic to lemons, and iron.

"I wasn't hiding." I replied evenly.

"My dear cousin, I really don't like it when you are all doom and gloom." Claudine said, placing the basket on the floor. Something was off, I could tell. She didn't sit down, like always. Usually she did share the food with me. I frowned. She smiled reassuringly, probably sensing my uncertainty. "Maybe this will cheer you up. You have a visitor."

I was completely taken aback, and honestly a little scared. But since Claudine was still smiling, it couldn't be Bill. But other than him, I had no idea who else it could be. Claudine jerked her head to the north side of the wood. I followed her line of sight, having to narrow my eyes to recognize the person standing there.

My breath got caught. "Godric?"

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><p><strong>AN Well … What do you think?**


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